Yukiyukite Sensha-do, Tanks Against Humanity
by Obento box
Summary: Hailed as a Tankery genius who excelled above all others in the deadly Tankery style 'Koushiki'. The Panzer ace Nishizumi Miho suffered her most humiliating defeat during the 73rd International Tankery Championship, losing her entire Battalion and her sister to Pravda. Now, Miho only wanted a quiet life at her new school Ooarai, but only if it were so easy to escape her talent.
1. Yukiyukite Senshado but nobody dies

**Tanks against humanity**

**Yukiyukite Senshadou but nobody dies**

"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name… thy kingdom come… thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us… and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…" Her sister's tears, snot and saliva all mixed together as the combination of liquid dribbled down her bruised cheeks and chin.

"Good, well done. When you're reincarnated, make sure you don't go into Tankery again." Her hope shattered for the last time, drowning in despair and too afraid to meet her end with dignity.

"Amen." She prayed for death, yet it did not come.

The trigger was pulled, the hammer slammed down, but the barrel did not flash.

"Hmm?... Tsk! Another misfire! Clunky old gun!" For a few more seconds she would linger amongst the living, desperately begging for a sherd of fortune to fall her way.

"-What are you doing?! The truck's leaving! We're gonna leave you here!" Someone else shouted from beyond the corridor, it was a notion for Pravda's departure.

"Wait up, I'll be there in a second!" Their captor yelled back, seemingly unfinished with his sadistic task.

However, as the back of the glasses-wearing soldier hasty ran towards the exit, Miho didn't know it would be the last time she ever laid her eyes upon that face.

Now left alone in the nauseating prison littered with the decomposing corpses of her former subordinates, she looked to her right seeking signs of life from her tortured and abused sister. A trifling spark of hope was lit in her broken heart, perhaps she could be allowed to hold on to one wish.

"We're saved… sis… we're saved…" If they could just survive the weeks of unspeakable torture they had suffered, there would still exist a future for her to dream of.

"…Sis…? Sister…!?" But there was no light of relieve and delight beaming from the deflated body of Miho's older sister, she was only kept off the bloodied floor by her rugged hands which were tied to the bars of their cell.

**Nishizumi Miho**

**Favourite tank: Panzer II**

**First day at Ooarai**

The electric, rhythmic beeping of an alarm clock stirred Miho's senses to reality, was she a bit more energetic on that beautiful morning she'd have stumbled out of bed and smacked her head on the table leg. But that day was unlike her regular days, the eerie dream of her traumatized past had brought a solemn atmosphere to her daily routine. Miho didn't want to recall it so vividly, the crime that was committed against her in her foregone days.

She got up, changed out of her sleepwear and surveyed her small apartment room decorated by many adorable dolls and toys, her favourite being the Boko bears. Looking over her own room filled to the brim with personality, Miho was again reminded that the dreadful life she left behind was no longer with her.

Her new, promising journey at Ooarai was different; it was peaceful. Possibly for the first time in her short life, Miho was freed from the burden of an intolerable duty. She didn't have to pursue a goal she didn't believe in or fight battles for someone else's purpose, she was free to enjoy being a person with her own goals and desires.

For the first time, she saw a future ahead of her stretched out to infinity, she saw a normal life fulfilled with joy and satisfaction. It was as if she had unlimited time, time that she wouldn't trade away for anything.

—

"So… emm… for your mandatory elective subject, make sure you choose _Sensha-do_!" Instantly, Miho could hear the rumbling noise of her peaceful life crumbling to dust.

"Did you hear, Miporin? I heard that if you choose _Sensha-do_, you get a lot of credits!"

"I also… was looking for something more active than _Kadou. _(flower arrangement)" Her friends, unbeknownst to the reality of Tankery, encouraged their enlistment together.

"B-but… I thought this school didn't have _Panzerfe_— Tankery courses! …It's the main reason I transferred here…" Miho timidly whispered back to Ooarai's student council president, Kadotani Anzu. In contrast to Anzu's cheerful expression, Miho's own face was ghastly pale.

"C'mon! Don't be like that, we're starting it back up this year. Must be fate that you came at the right time!" Paying no heed to Miho's outward angst, Anzu remained haughty in her attempt to persuade the new schoolgirl.

"No…! You don't… none of you understands what _Panzerfahren _is like! If only you knew—!"

In the desolate office surrounded on all sides by amateurs pretending to comprehend the death sport Miho grew up with, she felt uncontrollable shivers run up her entire body as she tried to stay composed while attempting to explain fruitlessly the horror that hid beneath true Tankery.

"-Hold on, I know what you're gonna say, but this is different." Before Miho could share her past trauma, Anzu was quick to cut her off.

"…What do you mean?"

"I know about the dangerous style of Sensha-do you practiced at your old school, _Koushiki_… it's the 'hard-style' of Sensha-do, right? We're talking about _Nanshiki_, it's like softball, for the general public, not dangerous at all!" Anzu continued her exposition as she fetched a special tank shell with markings written clearly on the side.

"This is the ammo that's used in _Nanshiki Sensha-do_. GuP rounds."

"They're designed to give the same shock as lead alloy just to the surface, and they don't even punch through metal sheets, no matter how thin." The monocle girl, Momo described further.

"Huh!? Is that even possible? What sort of construction and concept makes that possible?" In her brief moment of surprise, Miho discarded her earlier fearful mood.

"Let's not ask any unnecessary questions! At the end of the day, it actually exists!" Satisfied with her own ignorance, Anzu blissfully patted Miho's shoulder.

"Like it or not, our only option is to win the Sensha-do World Championships! Otherwise our Ooarai Girls High School…—"

"-Will be abolished." Anzu finished Momo's sentence.

"The school will be abolished!? But why!?" Before Miho could struggle to ponder an answer, Saori anxiously posted a question.

"It's really complicated, but I'm not lying."

"And the only way to save our school is to win the championship?" Hana added.

"Yep… yep."

Miho saw no motive to sympathize with Ooarai student council's grievance, the unlucky circumstance of losing their school seemed so feeble of a crisis compared to her own misfortune. The girls before her pleading for her assistance in the upcoming Tankery matches would never truly understand the weight of their request, a request that Miho had every right to refuse.

"I'll…! I'll join Sensha-do!" Nevertheless, Miho was an Ooarai student, a student whose enrollment was facing jeopardy which she could help to prevent. Thinking like that, it was only natural to protect her new shelter when it needed her. After all, there was no other home for her to return to.

"Thank you. We've got no other options but to put our faith in you, Nishizumi Miho, one of the ace commanders of the Kuromorimine Girls High School's legendary 12th SS Corp!"

—

A dejected but hopeful Miho walked by her lonesome across a vacant parking lot after bidding goodbye to her new friends despite their affectionate protest to stay with her in her time of need. She sought for some solitude to properly clear her head and determine whether if the path she chose was really the correct one that could bring her a future she so long yearned for.

Even with a mind so preoccupied by her endless dilemma, Miho's keen senses still picked up a poorly concealed figure stalking her from a dozen metres away. That somebody particular skirted Miho gaze as she ducked behind a tree not realizing their presence was already exposed, giving the former panzer commander an opportunity to confront her follower.

"Err…" Miho peeked around, spooking whoever was on her tail.

"-Woah!" Another girl dressed in Ooarai school uniform jumped from the unanticipated greeting. Her short, fluffy hair was the first thing to catch Miho's attention, that and her thrilled appearance when she was caught.

"T-that's exactly what I'd expect from the ace of the legendary SS Milk Babies! Your ability to find enemies is incredible!" The first sentence out of the stranger's mouth already left Miho flabbergasted, and the casually blunt stalker took that chance to stack on her spew.

"Oh… excuse me for not introducing myself! I'm Akiyama Yukari, general second course, second-year class three! I'm honoured to meet a real tank rider!"

"-Err, I don't think you—"

"-I've been a fan of _Kuromorimine_ for years, and I always used to read about their tournaments in magazines! I love tanks too! My favourite tank is the Polish 7TP! No, I'm not trying to make you laugh! What's your favourite tank, Nishizumi-dono? Oh…! Would it be alright if I called you Nishizumi-dono?!"

"No, I really don't—"

"-Please would you let me join your team as a comrade and assist you!"

Facing a verbal bombardment the likes of which Miho had rarely ever witnessed before, Yukari ranted on endlessly entirely about herself and her passion. The enthusiasm this young girl approached her hobby was almost praiseworthy if only it wasn't surrounding a sport Miho couldn't see as anything other than disgusting.

"_Frau _Akiyama…?" Miho addressed her new acquaintance nervously, not sure what was the best way of rejecting her obnoxious demand.

"Yes! _Mein Fuhrer!_ Please, just call me Yukari from now on!" Yukari replied astonishingly, tacking on a full Nazi salute for Miho.

"Tanks are tools for killing people. I used to ride in one because I had no other option, but I think they should be banned from this planet. So I can't be friends with someone who sees them as objects for fun." That was the truth of it, Miho had no intention of further association with someone so blatantly blinded to the horror of war.

Believing herself to be done, Miho turned around and begun to leave a shocked Yukari behind, but the fluffy girl recovered from her idol's rejection faster than Miho could comfortably walk away. A firm tackle that almost knocked the annoyed ex-commander off her feet was enough to drag Miho back for what she thought was round two of Yukari's nonsense.

"I'm sorry, Nishizumi-dono! I'm sorry for being so impertinent! I'm not worthy of being your comrade! I'll be your servant! Make me your servant! Call me Yukari the faithful dog!" Latching onto Miho not too dissimilar from a dog, Yukari begged.

"Why are you like this!? I said no!" No longer hiding her aggravation, Miho shouted back and quickly pushed Yukari off her.

"S-sorry… I got overly excited on my own… I-I've been really shy in front of new people since childhood and… when I go into a panic. I get all worked up like that." When so seriously confronted by Miho, the tank-loving student lowered her head in shame and genuinely apologized.

"Ah… no, it's alright. I'm not good in front of new people either…" Perhaps Miho also grew too frenzied in her communication with Yukari as her attitude implied.

"But it's true that I'm a fan of you! I think it's amazing that a girl who's a similar age as me was riding around in a real tank."

"It's really nothing too impressive… if anything, all I wanted was a normal life like yours, being able to love tanks for how cool they are."

"…Like me? But I didn't… my love of tanks hasn't been all that great, actually…"

—

"…As they say, 'it's better to have Ivan on your belly than having the Amis above your head.'…"

Miho sat quietly on a set of swings as she listened to Yukari's story with a stern expression. Her feeling of condolence was only rivalled by her sense of intimacy towards the military expert, she also could deeply relate to her innocent passion for tanks and weaponry throwing her world into chaos without notice.

"Huh? What was that?" Yukari asked, still a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable with sharing the darkest period of her past.

"It was a saying during the last days of World War II. Goebbels and the RMVP reported that the invading Soviet troops were… they were… raping German women at mass to spread fear and hatred towards the Soviets. But around the same time, the allies were bombing Berlin on a daily basis, so the people dismissed the propaganda by saying what I quoted…"

"I see… well, I suppose worse things could've happened to me. Thanks for teaching me something new, Nishizumi-dono."

"Oh no, I'm sorry for bringing up something unrelated, I shouldn't have said that." Miho glanced over at Yukari, the sorrowful girl was beginning to recover her spirit.

"So anyway! I really wish you'd believe me when I say that my feelings of wanting to serve you are for real! It's always been my dream to become a real tank rider, and serving under you would be the highest Honour!" Spinning her mood one hundred and eighty degrees, Yukari declared her loyalty and servitude to Miho with utmost sincerity.

The idea of an innocent girl harbouring an unsullied love for the cool and awesome inventions of men urged the young tactician to reconsider her own resentment of Tankery. The sport was a corrupted pit of deprivation left unchecked by the international community for too long. It would continue to swallow the lives of countless young girls, spitting out only victims and corpses never having that primal hunger for violence satisfied.

"Haha… I've never seen a girl who was envious about riding in a tank, and I never thought anyone would idolize me like this. But I feel a little better now, thanks, _Frau _Akiyama."

"Anytime, _Mein Fuhrer! _I'm always glad to serve."

"Then please, calling me Fuhrer is a little too much. I'm sure it'll make people uncomfortable." Miho hopped off the swing to meet Yukari and her joyful eagerness, showing her biggest fan a proper military salute.

"Roger, Nishizumi-dono! I'll do anything you ask of me, your wish is my command!"

"My wish…" She was reminded that she too, had a right to dream.

Miho glimpsed Yukari's shimmering smile and it lit a spark of determination deep in her heart. For all her life, not once had Tankery given her anything except unending misery and pointless demise, but if she couldn't change a past of brutality, perhaps she could be someone strong enough to direct the future of the armoured competition onto a better path.

"_I'll end this war people call sport…"_ In her native language, Miho muttered an aspiration she believed in.

She could see the purpose of her life before her, within her grasp was a future where everyone could enjoy Tankery without fearing their untimely death. Miho would be the one to put an end to _Koushiki_, she would accomplish something her mother could not.

"So, what should we do now, ma'am!?" Yukari's question dragged Miho out of her introspection where she didn't have an answer prepared.

"-Miporiiiin! Miporin what're you doing!?" As it turned out, someone else was there to provide the next step.

"Miho-san, we should head to the _Sensha-do _club, it's starting soon."

"Oh, right. Well, we should go, _Frau_ Akiyama, today is the first day of the club. And they're my friends, Hana and Saori." Miho casually gestured, introducing her new friends to her newer friend.

"Of course! I'm Akiyama Yukari, general second course, second-year class three. I'm also in the _Sensha-do _club, nice to meet you!"

"I'm Isuzu Hana, nice to meet you."

"Saori Takebe, nice to meet you too."

—

"Err… is this our entire fighting strength?" Miho wasn't sure if she was feeling disappointment or bewilderment at the selection of tanks available.

"Yup! We searched the entire ship and we've got a full lineup from the beginning! It wasn't easy finding that really big one or that really long one, you know?" Anzu's description of the vehicles was of no assistance whatsoever.

"What do you think, Nishizumi? Can we win?" Momo asked ominously, seeking the opinion of a true expert.

Miho studied all of the tanks on display. For a school that just re-established Tankery, its collection of rusting metal wasn't the worst it had to offer, but not being the worst was a long way off from winning the championship at the biggest tournament in the world.

"Hmmm… _Frau_ Akiyama, come take a look with me." Hopping off the podium she was on, Miho went in for a closer inspection of the tanks with Yukari.

"Pick any tank you want, okay!? You're the commander, after all!" Anzu shouted behind her, passing her the mantle of responsibility.

"Private Akiyama! Reporting!" Yukari keenly saluted, it appeared to be a habit of hers.

"Give me your honest opinion on our tanks, Pvt. Akiyama." Miho played along much to the delight of her underling.

"Panzer IV Ausf.H, Jagdpanzer 38t, StuG III Ausf.F, Type 89B I-go, M3 Lee, Char B1, Porsche Tiger and a Type 3 Chi-Nu. They're not bad tanks… but with only this many…" Yukari too saw the obvious flaw of Ooarai's Tankery team.

"One 88mm and six 75mm… we can still do it, but we'll have to push everything to the limit…"

"Yes! I will work my hardest to meet your expectations, Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari provided another salute.

"Thanks, so I guess you want to ride a tank with me?"

"Of course! There's nothing more I could dream of other than being in the same unit as you, Nishizumi-dono!"

"We should pick a tank then, what do you think, Private?"

"I… I will respect any options you take, ma'am!" Yukari's burning passion for all the types of machinery in sight meant she held no particular favourite.

"Okay, if the others have no complaint, we'll drive the Porsche Tiger."

"Understood! It's the closest vehicle to what you used to operate, ma'am. I think it's a good choice."

—

"Owwww-! Ouch! Ohmygod- ohmygod…! What the hell just happened!?" Saori desperately climbed out of the Porsche Tiger and tumbled clumsily into a faceplant on the dirt ground. The rest of her crew too escaped with equal speed but more balance in their steps.

"Oh my… I don't believe we did anything we're not supposed to." Hana referred to the short duration of their tank ride.

"I'm so sorry Nishizumi-dono! I should've warned you about the poor performance of the Porsche T and its machinal problems!" Yukari rushed over to her commander, patting down the dust stuck to her uniform and checking for injuries.

"This is why Porsche didn't win the Tiger I design…" With no more comments to add on top of the tank's failure, Miho could only crack a dry joke.

"So… you guys still want to use this one?" Anzu nonchalantly watched the struggle from the sidelines.

"No, we'll drive another one, the Panzer IV is fine. I can't maintain a Porsche Tiger." Wielding a tank that got stuck in the dirt, overheated its engine and then set that engine on fire within the first two minutes of a test run was too much for Miho to handle. At that moment, she finally understood why the Elefant crew was never too happy when working maintenance.

"Alright, I'll tell the Automotive club to drive this big guy instead. They did claim they're the only ones that can fix it." Recognizing the talents of the four mechanics, Miho reminded herself to praise the Ooarai students when she could.

"Please and thank you. How is everyone else doing?"

"They are all enthusiastic, I'm sure. _Sensha-do_ is a very inspiring sport and they're all very excited about it." Miho and Anzu chatted as they strolled back towards the garage.

Ahead of them were a field of girls each tinkering uncertainly with the tank of their choice, but what Miho saw beneath their amateur skills and lack of knowledge was the determination for success, they all were driven in their own ways to improve and master the way of Tankery.

Her fellow club members were so much like herself years prior, before she was subjugated to the true nature of the cruel war hiding under the pretense of entertainment. However, that would no longer be the case, those girls would never be deceived like she once was.

—

The rest of the day passed in tranquillity. Each team went for a test run with their vehicle with the expectation of Miho's group and the Automotive club going for two trials in both the Porsche Tiger and Panzer IV. Afterschool, Miho and her new friends visited a Tankery shop to kill some time and went over to her apartment for dinner, engaging in relaxing and irrelevant conversations all the while.

The fresh and unfamiliar feeling of offering and receiving honest generosity left a bittersweet sentiment in Miho's heart as she watched her dear companions depart for the night, it was a sensation she almost forgot during her years as the commander of Black Forest's 12th SS Corp, a sensation she would've never felt when she was the 'Otto Carius of Black Forest'."

**Author's note**

This story is heavily based TK's doujinshi, Yukiyukite Senshadou. It's actually one of the best doujins I've ever read, not a joke, the characters and plot might be a bit convoluted but it's really the atmosphere and tone that elevates it from all other works. I'd recommend anyone interested in this fic to go ahead and read the doujins, it'll make more sense and be more enjoyable (maybe) if you know the story of Yukiyukite Sensha-do. I'll leave the numbers for part one here if you know how to use them: 145750

I'll be taking some liberties to flesh out part of the settings not covered in Yukiyukite, and making adjustments to some of the questionable plot points in the story. Such as:

The doujin refers to the championships (which is national High-school Sensha-do tournament in GuP canon) as national even though it's clearly implying all characters are from different countries and not just Japan.

The 73th national championship where Kuromorimine loses to Pravda was clearly Koushiki, but the 74th championship which includes all schools started off as Nanshiki before Kitano changed the rules. Also, it was said that most schools expect Kuromorimine and Pravda don't practice Koushiki anymore, so the 73th national championship couldn't be Koushiki since then there'll be only two to three schools participating. (This point made more sense in my head, but you know what I mean.)

Why is Kitano from Battle Royale the movie even here, it just feels like a pretty weird cameo since he actually is very important to the plot. Also, it's not a battle royal system, it's a tournament.

So yeah, it's not a perfect story, but Yukiyukite Senshadou is still the best out there. It's the reason I was inspired to write this fic. Although I'm rather slow on updates so don't expect another chapter unless this fic really takes off and becomes actually liked. I also didn't proofread this chapter too much, let me know if there's a misspell somewhere that I missed.

Some changes I made compared to the doujin would be making Miho actually half German as her backstory implied, making most of the schools also participants in the Koushiki high school championships, making most characters from schools themed after a country actually from that country and some minor details I don't remember at the moment.

Overall, I hope you enjoy this story, and I really hope you'd give Yukiyukite Senshadou a read, it's some real good stuff.


	2. Goes for a test drive, comes back never

**Nishizumi Miho**

**Favourite tank: Panzer II**

"—_Deputy Commander Miho, primary objective secured, clean up your AO and we're done._"

"—_Ah… roger, Commander! On our way…_"

Shielded by the darkness of a moonless night, a lone Tiger I escorted by a Platoon of infantry emerged out of the woodlands towards an assortment of burning T-34 wreckages. A few glistening fires remained sparkling over the demolished armour, illuminating the scenery of pure devastation created by Miho's very hands.

Standing halfway out of her cupola as a draft of cold wind blew her by, Miho realized her fingers were stiffly glued to the grip of her C96 pistol. She scanned around the gruesome battlefield, ignoring the guilty conscious condemning her for her previous depraved acts and the crimes she was about to commit.

"_Leutnant, look for any survivors… and then, you know…_" Miho gave her order to the soldier leading the Platoon, he saluted quickly and passed on her message.

"—_Miho, you still there?_" To her surprise, her earpiece buzzed alive from the voice of her sister. Below her, the radio operator of her Tiger tapped her feet and gestured a hand sign, letting her know the transmission was private between the two siblings.

"—_Y-yes, sister. What is it?_"

"—_I want you to know you did good today, I'm proud of you. So will mother be once we deliver another victory to our Fatherland._"

"—_Of course, sister. I'm very grateful for your praise._" In her peripheral vision, Miho could spot the white flashes of rifles firing only single shots at point-blank range followed by a short echo of the impact.

"—_Miho… I know you don't particularly enjoy Panzerfahren, but we all have to do—_"

"— _-I know, sister, I know. I'll do what I must, I'll become who I'm meant to be._" Miho abruptly cut in to give her reply.

"—_If you say so. Remember, we're legends of Black Forest, we'll lead our school and our people to victory._" The infantry Lieutenant from earlier returned to report a mission completed, Miho responded with a loose nod and took in a breath of the midnight air permeated with fresh blood and burning metal.

"—_Sis, we're done here. Permission to return to base?_"

"—_Oh- of course, Deputy Commander. Sieg Heil._"

"—_Sieg Heil._"

**Second day at Ooarai**

On the morning of her second day back into Tankery, Miho dreamed of the peak of her past career. She could still vividly recall the many times she witnessed the blinding flicker of her 88mm round tearing through the air filled dense with gunpowder and struck on target into the hull of her opponent. The scream of destruction detonated whichever unfortunate tank was focused in her sight and sometimes, just sometimes she could hear the last screams of its dying crew too.

—

"Okay, okay. And… three, two, one, action."

"Commencing GuP rounds fire-test seven, target at one hundred metres out." The video camera placed to the left of the Panzer IV was filming the victim of its experiment, the Type 89 in the distance.

"Firing!" Following her announcement, a burst of the muzzle could be seen. At afar, the gist of white smoke and sparks erupted out from the impact point on the Type-89, but there was no fiery explosion or observable damage to the vehicle. The only sign of change was a white flag sticking out of the top of the light tank.

"First shot, good effect on target. Concluding fire-test seven for GuP rounds." The silky brown-haired teen popped out of the commander's hatch and jumped down from the turret.

"What do you think? Looks like it works as advertised."

"It appears so, thanks for your help, President. We'll end the testing here, please let the first-year recover their tank now." Anzu chewed on the last bits of her dried potato as she called over the six younger students of Ooarai, giving them the authorization to return to their vehicle.

Sliding by Anzu and retrieving the video camera, Miho re-watched the footage of her constant beating on the Type-89, seven GuP rounds smashed into the side of the light Japanese tank over the course of her experiment but none caused any significant damage. It was almost unbelievable had she not been the one to fire it, but the new shells built for a 'soft-style' Tankery provided the safety that was promised.

"So, your final verdict?" Anzu joined Miho on her way back to the garage where most members of the Tankery club were finishing their final tune-up, or whatever it was they were trying to do on their tanks.

"I'm really glad that something like this exists, this way we can practice _Panzerfahren_ without risking our lives. I don't understand how this kind of shell and hit detection system works, but it's not worth asking the questions."

"Right, it's only a sport after all, I don't even know how something that dangerous lasted so long." The shorter girl's observation was agreed upon by Miho.

"But the point is it will last no longer. _Panzerfahren_ should've never existed in the first place."

"Yup… pretty much. Why do you call it 'Pantie-fallen'?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, it just means Tankery in German. I'll just say _Sensha-do_ from now on, sorry." Anzu chuckled at Miho's blundering response, the tank ace was still clumsy and shy when it came to day-to-day interactions.

"Ahaha! I'm just messing with you, Nishizumi-chan. I know you're not used to speaking Japanese. Actually, it's impressive how good your Japanese is considering where you're from."

"Ah… yes. Well, I'm half Japanese on my mother's side, and she had me take her last name for recognition. I was taught many things about Japanese as a child."

"Must've been tough on you, doing so much at that age."

"…I suppose so." Miho avoided connecting gazes with Anzu and cast her sight downwards in vague melancholy.

"Hey, now you're here, we don't have to worry about that all stuff. Let's just have our fun with _Sensha-do_, alright? I'm sure you'll be having a great time later when we do our first mock battle!" A lighthearted Anzu gave Miho a friendly pat on the back, pushing her in the direction of the Panzer IV crew awaiting her command.

"Ah… yes! Yes, I will!"

—

"—Radio check, radio check. One two three, one two three. How's the connection?"

"—Receiving you loud and clear, Nishizumi-dono!"

"—I can hear you clearly also, Miho-san."

"—I copy yes! Let's do this, Miporin!"

Everyone aboard the Panzer IV was beaming with energy, the enthralling experience of riding a WWII mechanical beast wasn't something the average Joe could boast about. Miho had assigned roles for each of her four crews. Placing herself in the commander seat, Yukari was the driver, Hana the gunner and Saori as the loader.

"Okay! If everyone's good to go, I'll start the match!" Miho ducked down to confirm with her team and saw the replies as four sets of nods affirming her decision.

"—To all commanders, the mock battle will begin now, reach your designated starting point and await further orders. All units, _Panzer Vor_!"

All at once, the quiet hum of Ooarai's tanks sprung alive as sprays of gasoline were injected into the idling engine. Eight tracked machines built by the various manufacturers of different countries rolled out of the garage and onto the vast open field. At the front leading the pack was Miho's Panzer IV, however, it quickly raced ahead of its competition and disappeared by the time the column entered the thick forest where the simulation of warfare may take place.

"—Driver, full speed ahead and take the left at the first split, then the next two rights until we hit the plains." Miho clicked on the mike around her neck and issued her order, she felt the sudden upsurge of wind blowing against her hair as the tank raced by the scenery.

"—Do you know which way we're supposed to go, Miporin?"

"—Yeah, I studied the map of this area before we started."

"—As expected of Nishizumi-dono! Always thinking ahead!"

"—Thanks, _Frau_ Akiyama. Your driving is surprisingly skillful as well."

The Panzer IV and crew enjoyed a peaceful trip and reached their destination without much in the way, the team was by their lonesome in the forest with no other units in sight. After giving their foes the time to also reach their starting line, Miho saw it appropriate to begin Ooarai's first Tankery match in ages.

"—Panzer IV to all commanders, everyone should be at their starting location and ready to go. Your goal is to immobilize all opponents, but please be aware of your surroundings and stay safe! I hope everyone has a fun time today! All units, begin operation, weapons free!" It was the first Tankery match for Miho in quite some time, she sincerely wished for the new style to be everything she hoped it would be.

—

"—Driver, follow this road ahead, keep it around half gas."

"—Roger!" The tank slowly hummed to life once more, its caterpillar tracks rotating in sync with the wheels.

"—What's our plan, Nishizumi-dono?"

"—We'll run away and let them fight it out, then come in for the win once the numbers are culled."

"—A bit disreputable, but a very viable strategy it is." Hana commented.

"—It'd be embarrassing if I were to lose against them, I think I could take them all on if we had a full crew and a better vehicle."

"—Unfortunate that the school couldn't allow you to perform at your peak, Nishizumi-dono. Maybe if we win the championship and receive more funding to the _Sensha-do_ club, we can afford better tanks!" Yukari optimistically suggested.

"—Yes… well, that would be pretty… -target, target in sight, two O'clock. Gunner, traverse right, five hundred." Without prior warning, Miho rudely cut off their previous chat and donned the most serious face anyone from Ooarai had ever seen.

"—W-what? I'm- I'm sorry, where is the enemy?" A baffled Hana was at a loss for action.

"—It's right there, the Char B to your right at two O'clock. Can you acquire the target? Get your eyes on it- turn the turret and look for it."

"—Wait, hold on- hold on. I'm looking for it!" The slow, jaggy movement of the turret was getting on Miho's nerves, especially after she watched it turn past the target.

"—No- no! You overshot it! Traverse back- left! Traverse left! Turn the gun back to the left! …Okay, a bit more… a bit more- stop! Right there! You're looking at it, do you see it? Do you have a line of sight?"

"—Err- yes! I see it, I see it! S-should I fire?"

"—No-no-no-no! Stop! Just keep your aim trained on it, fire on my command, you got that?! Don't fire without my say-so."

"—Okay! I understand!"

In the heated moment, Miho grew just a bit too frustrated due to her crew's pure inexperience. She took a long breath out of the disappointment at her own short-sightedness. She should have foreseen such an incident since her team had literally never been trained before in any way regarding tank operation. That was the one flaw she found out about her new school after transferring away from Black Forest.

"—Alright… the Char B hasn't noticed us yet, we'll maneuver around it and hit it in the back. Driver, give me some left stick and a bit of gas, cut through those treelines and go up right behind them."

"—Roger that!" Thankfully, Yukari, the military expert had read enough books and seen enough movies to understand Miho's phrases.

And so, the Panzer IV cruised up right behind the Char B, its blundering crew had no idea how to optimally operate their vehicle and left themselves open to attack. As her tank closed the gap between the two metal machines Miho was starting to feel a tad bit sorry for the French Char B1, the already heavy and unwieldy tank was a burden on its own, but to be manned by only three personnel was a rather preposterous demand.

"—_Frau _Isuzu, do you still have the target in sight?"

"—Yes! I'm pointed at it!"

"—Fire when ready."

"—Oh- s-should I shoot?"

"—Yes! Yes, open fire!"

And so she did, a shell slammed into the rear of the Char B to astounding fanfare. Kicking up flashes and sparks of light as everyone excluding Miho were profoundly fascinated by the pure elation of scoring a solid hit.

"Woah… my ears are still ringing." Yukari was the first to submit her opinion.

"That felt… kinda good." Hana too was savouring a sensation never felt before.

"—Keep your sight on it, it's not dead yet. -_Frau _Takebe, load another shell. Stay clear of the gun and tell _Frau _Isuzu when you're done so she knows when to fire again."

"—Oh… oh yeah! Okay, okay!"

Sticking out of the hatch, Miho was waiting with bated breath for Saori to reload while she stared intensely at the back of the Char B. After over a dozen seconds of containing her anguish, Miho's patience for her loader ran dry as the 47mm turret was turning around.

"—_Frau _Takebe! Please load as quickly as possible." Miho peeked down and saw Saori fumbling with a single round.

"—Okay! I'm doing it!" However, it was still not done.

"—_Frau _Saori! Load within four seconds!"

"—Yes! I'll do it right away!" Still, no shot was available.

"—Hurry up, Saori! Three seconds!"

"—Y-yes!"

"—Too slow! They're returning fire, brace! Brace!" Everyone ducked down and prepared for a 47mm that sailed way over above their heads.

"—Haaw… that sure was clos— ow-oww!" Saori's puff of relief was painfully aborted by Miho's foot to her head.

"—Where's my shell, loader!? Hurry!"

"—O-okay right! It's- it's done! It's good!" Miho brainstormed over a hundred responses to Saori's inability to reload a shell, however, none of it would be truly fair to the first-time tanker.

"—_Frau _Isuzu, fire when ready."

"—Yes, firing now."

A second shell exploded almost on top of the first one, creating a cloud of white dust upon impact. Once the smoke cleared, a small white flag was clearly observable from the top of the Char B.

"—Cease fire, cease fire, target destroyed. Well done team… haa… s-sorry- I'm so sorry for my behaviour! I always get too angry and- and serious when it comes to _Sensha-do_! I'm really sorry about that!" By the time the adrenaline rush had died down in Miho, she felt regrettable shame for how she treated her crew.

"—Oh, it's not your fault at all, Miho-san. We should've practiced more when we had the chance."

"—Yeah! Don't worry about it, Miporin, this is how I expected to be treated in _Sensha-do_!"

"—Please kick me next time as well, Nishizumi-dono!" Her friends were indeed kind-hearted people, Miho again was able to reaffirm that fact.

"—Thank you for being so understanding, everyone. We should move, we've spent too long here. -Driver, continue down this road at half speed. Let's go, _Panzer vor!_"

—

Half an hour of relative calmness ticked pass the restless crew of the Panzer IV, their heightened awareness gradually grew drowsy from a lack of intense action after their initial kill. Wandering the vast arena of the Ooarai carrier, it appeared that Miho's plan of turning tail and running away was the result of her wise planning and advanced tactics instead of a random whim.

"So Miporin, I always wanted to ask you this, but what does 'fauu' mean? 'fell'? 'flu'? what is it you say all the time?" The low throttle of the tank paired with the quietness of their surroundings meant Miho could hear her friend just fine without their microphone.

"It's _Frau_, as in _Fraulein_, it's just German for Miss. Is it weird for me to call everyone that? I'm sorry it's been a habit since a young age." Miho bent down into her armoured car and answered.

"No, I think it's very cute of you, Miporin! But you can just call us by our names if it's easier for you."

"I understand, I'll consider it."

"So it is true that you grew up in Germany, Miho-san?"

"It is, I used to attend Black Forest Girls Academy, _Kuromorimine_. I was one of the commanders of the 12th corps of the Waffen-SS." Strangely, speaking to her friends about her past didn't sting Miho's tenuous heart as much as she had imagined.

"Nishizumi-dono was a legendary tank commander of her school! In fact, she confirmed over one hundred fifty kills over her career! A feat almost no one can hope to match!" Yukari eagerly bragged about Miho's accomplishments in her place.

"Thanks for the recognition, but let's hold that thought for now. I'm seeing someone in the middle of the battlefield, slow the vehicle, driver." Once again, Miho diverted the topic when a perilous situation demanded her professionalism.

On the endless open field ahead of the advancing Panzer IV, a lone figure laid motionless up against a tree trunk amidst the vast green plains. A red book covered her face from view of others and more likely protected her eyes from the shining sun. Finally realizing the massive metal behemoth that pulled up next to her, the young girl woke up from her afternoon doze and leapt an amazing distance onto the tank in one fell swoop.

"Do you know you're interrupting our club activities!? What're you doing here!?" Miho popped out of her hatch and questioned her new passenger.

"I was skipping, wanna let me in?" The dark-haired girl answered aloofly.

"We're in the middle of a wargame here! You can't just—"

For however long Miho hid from the war, the war eventually came to them.

A hair-raising whiz of death flew by Miho's vehicle at lightning speed, only sparing her and her crew's lives by mere inches of misalignment. The earth-splitting impact of a single tank shell hitting the ground to their left kicked up a ferrous dust storm and sent the entire group of tankers into high alert.

"-Whoa! —Move it! Back it up- go to reverse and turn left! Turn to the left as hard as you can! Ninety degrees reverse to the left now!" The intensely of battles that Miho missed for almost an hour all caught up to her at the same time.

"—What the- what was that!?" Yukari asked fretfully, copying the emotional state of her idol.

"—That was an eighty-eight! The Porsche Tiger is on us, they should be somewhere right in front, look for them. Saori, load smoke immediately." Having regained some part of her posture and relieved of her survival instinct, Miho issued her next sets of orders with more composure.

"-Can I come inside, please?" Having almost forgotten their guest, Miho just noticed she was hanging on by her pinkies as the tank rapidly accelerated.

"…Sure, hurry and jump in!" A decision the normally extremely cautious Miho would never make, but the student crawling up before her didn't give off a threatening aura as compared to the real danger.

"Ah… Mako-chan."

"Huh, it's Saori." The two girls greeted each other casually after the newcomer comfortably slid into the radio operator seat amongst all the chaos.

"—C'mon on, focus! I've spotted the target vehicle! One Porsche Tiger seven hundred metres out! Gunner, traverse right twenty degrees and prepare to fire. Where's my smoke, Saori!? Please have it loaded now!"

"—Ah- I'm really sorry! I don't see anything here that says smoke! All the shells are the same!" A mild detail which elapsed Miho's memories was the unique ammunition circumstances, in exchange for safety she had to sacrifice some utility.

"—It's okay, just load a regular GuP shell. -_Frau _Isuzu, do you have the target lined up?"

"—Yes! I'm aiming at it!" Stuck in a dire pinch, Miho's mind clocked into overdrive as she evaluated the best possible step to take.

"—Fire now!"

"—Firing!"

Miho glued her brown eyes to the flashing shell expelled from the searing barrel travelling over twice the speed of sound towards its mark. A fleeting second later, a cloud of dust was kicked up just a bit ahead of the Porsche tank.

The response to hostile intent from the rare Tiger was equally as deafening. A metal slug fired from its anti-tank gun ripped through the sound barrier and was also off-target by only metres.

"—Everyone, close your hatches, I'll be popping smoke to obscure their line of sight." Miho kept true to her word, not a second after the last hatch was shut she launched the smoke canisters all around their fighting vehicle.

"—Driver, get us as close to the edge of the smoke in the front as you can."

"—Roger!" The Panzer IV vigilantly crept forward, keeping itself within the smoke from out of sight from the Tiger.

"—_Frau _Akiyama, do you think you can load faster than _Frau _Takebe?" In what brief cover they had, Miho didn't have the time to dress her words.

"—Err… I don't wanna be rude to Takebe-dono, but I believe I can." Yukari gave a straightforward answer, understanding hurt feelings on the battlefield meant next to nothing.

"—Switch with _Frau_ Takebe, I need you to load as fast as possible. We'll take down the Tiger here, its frontal armour is one hundred millimetres. We can penetrate it at this distance." Miho was determined to get back on the offense.

"—But who'll drive?"

"—I'm afraid relocating won't do any good, we're too exposed out here. The Porsche Tiger's gunner is pretty good, if we turn and run across the open field without cover, they might just shoot us in the back. We have to take it down first."

"—Okay, we'll do what you say." Counting on Miho's genius, Yukari placed her devoted trust in the Tankery legend and followed her plan to the dot.

The two high school girls hastily swapped their roles with Yukari taking the seat beside Hana and Saori crawling into the driver's compartment.

"_Frau_ Hana, can you acquire the target?" Miho leaned up against her gunner and placed a firm grasp on her shoulder, their distance was close enough she didn't need to speak through her microphone.

"Not yet… the smoke is still thick. I can only see the ground ahead of me."

"Do you remember where they were at last? Aim at where you think they are."

"But wouldn't they have moved?"

"They're in a good firing position, I wouldn't move if it was me. They probably still have the gun trained on where we were last, so hopefully that can buy us some time." Hana returned a slight nod, her eyes were glued to the gun sight searching for the first clue to the whereabouts of the Tiger.

"You can do it, I know you can."

Seconds ticked on by counting down the density of the smoke and the improvement to her vision, the sightline was clearing up slowly until Hana finally saw something new. A slight bulge was growing more apparent over the horizon until its outline could no longer be masked.

"—I see the Tiger! It's in the same spot!"

"—Fire when ready."

"—Firing!"

One shot sailed onwards, striking the armoured vehicle on the turret and ricocheted off its circular surface.

"—Bounced! Load another one now!" Miho directed her glare at the tank in the distance, its turret making micro adjustments to line them up with the barrel.

"—Loaded!" Yukari shouted her status, readying the gun for another shot faster than anyone Miho had ever seen.

"—Firing!"

A second round followed in the trajectory of the first almost exactly with several inches of differences, landing it a bit lower and hitting the upper front plate head on only to fail at breaching through the one hundred millimetres thick armour.

"Tch, —No good! Load another!" Miho clicked her tongue out of the stacking frustration. The self-doubt of whether she misjudged the penetration value of the GuP rounds lingered in the back of her head.

"—Loaded!" Yukari informed once more, but that was too little too late.

In the generous amount of time the Panzer crew took and fired two shells at the Tiger, it was fully ready to retaliate when they missed their second chance. Shooting its own 88mm cannon, the imposing distance between the two armoured combat vehicles proved more advantageous to the prototype tank.

"—Brace! Incoming!" Miho somehow knew their enemy's shot wouldn't miss, that had happened too many times in one day. She knew she couldn't bank on the Porsche T's incompetence like how she did with the Char B, it seemed like she would be tasting her second defeat in a row.

But Miho's downfall wasn't meant to be, even the tank itself agreed.

"Wait- Mako-chan what're—?"

"-Huh? How did the-?" At the very last moment possible, the Panzer IV steered harshly to the left, causing the inbound shell that would spell their impending doom to bounce violently off the side armour, scraping off plenty amount of paint and leaving one gigantic scratch mark.

"Mako-chan! You can drive?!" Miho climbed down and saw what saved them wasn't random luck, but the stowaway they picked up minutes earlier.

"I just learned how to now."

"Just now?!"

"That is very impressive!"

"That's why you're top of our class!" Everyone was openly showering Mako in praises and lavishing her talent.

"Thank you very much, _Fraulein_! Please be ready to relocate on my command! —Gunner, acquire the target again! Put another round into it!" Miho was quick to put an end to the celebration and raise the tension of her crew. The time for relaxation and commendations should come after their victory, not before.

"—Hold on! I'm turning the turret—"

"-Wait, I'll get us closer and line you up again." Mako interrupted Hana's action and offered a better alternative.

The three hundred horsepower Maybach engine of the Panzer IV flowed its energy to the tracks below, fuelling the tank to dodge and weave at the maximum speed over the enormous grassland, maneuvering in ways Miho almost thought impossible. The stationary Porsche Tiger felt the urgency and increased its own rate of fire, but the rain of danger all missed Miho's tank by slight or wild margins never once hitting its goal.

"—Four hundred metres! We're close enough, prepare to fire! -Saori! Let the driver know we're firing!" Since Mako didn't come equipped with her own radio, Miho had to get someone to pass on the memo.

The Panzer IV put a pause to its need for speed and aligned itself perfectly as it did before Mako took over, the barrel was pointing directly at its metallic opponent.

"—I have the target in sight! Ready to fire!" Hana reported her success faster than ever.

"—Put it down!"

"—Firing!" For their third attempt, Miho was finally satisfied with the results.

**Author's note**

I'm not very good at writing action scenes, especially in tanks, hopefully the rather mediocre writing isn't a super turnoff for people actually liking this story. Also, not very knowledgeable about tanks, I did do some study when going into writing this story, but I'm not a super WWII expert or anything.

I'm not planning on making the story that depressing like TK's doujin, there's gonna be different plot going somewhere down the line.

Thanks for checking out this story and let me know if I made a mistake somewhere. Otherwise, I'll continue to slowly update this story overtime.


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